Former presidential candidate Marco Rubio will run for re-election for his Florida Senate seat after all, backing down from previous claims of leaving the governmental life behind for good. Rubio had previously insisted he would only seek the "private citizen" life in the wake of his failed presidential bid, though NBC Newsreports the recent mass shooting in Orlando—the deadliest in the nation's history—has played a part in changing Rubio's mind.
"I think that the point that really drove me to change my mind is that as we enter this kind of new chapter in our history here is, there's another role the Senate plays that I think can be really important in the years to come," Rubio told the Miami Herald Wednesday, teasing a formal re-election announcement. "That's the power given to it in the Constitution to act as a check and balance on the excess of the president. It's even more important given the fact that control of the Senate could very well come down to what happens in the Florida race."
Rubio added that, regardless of whether Clinton or Trump takes the presidency in November, there's "reason to worry" for the nation. "If it's Hillary Clinton, you know we're going to have four more years of the same failed economic policies, four more years of the same failed foreign policy," Rubio said. "The prospect of a Trump presidency is also worrisome to me in many ways. It's no secret that I have significant disagreements with Donald."
No secret indeed. During his tenure as a GOP presidential candidate, Rubio had plenty of Trump jokes lined up, including a little number about Trump's small hands and what that theoretically means for, um, other parts of the body. Politics everyone! Fun for the whole fam.
In a statement announcing his re-election bid, Rubio said there was "simply too much at stake" for him to not reverse his previous decision on entering the race:
There were two paths before us. There was one path that was more personally comfortable and probably smarter politically. But after much thought and prayer, together we chose to continue with public service; to continue down the path that provides the opportunity to make a positive difference at this critical and uncertain time for our nation.
Marco Rubio's former rival, Ted Cruz, promptly endorsed Rubio's re-election bid. "Marco is a friend and has been an ally in many battles we have fought together in the Senate," Cruz said in a Facebook statement. "I'm glad to support him in his bid for re-election."
Representatives for Rubio did not immediately respond to Complex's request for comment.
